New golf coach brings hard work mantra to UNO

UNO has announced former Red Wolf Easton Key as the assistant coach of the men and women golf programs as of July 2016.

Key arrives in Omaha after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant coach for Arkansas State, where he helped lead the team to five tournament championships and three top-five finishes.

The Meridian, Mississippi, native was a two-year men’s golf letteman for the Red Wolves (2012-14) and a 2013 Cleveland Golf and Srixon All-America Scholar, collecting an individual title at the 2012 Bill Ross Intercollegiate and six top-10 finishes.

Leading the team-best season stroke average as both a junior and senior, Key also helped lead Arkansas State to the 2014 Red Wolves Intercollegiate Championship.

Before competing at Arkansas State, Key spent two years at Meridian Junior College, where his father Ronnie Key is currently the head coach of the golf program. Before attending Meridian, Key helped lead the Lamar High School Golf team to five consecutive state championships, where he was also a two-time all-state selection.

Shortly before the transition to Nebraska, Key earned his master’s degree in sports administration in August.

“Originally, Coach (Seth) Porter wanted someone who could be there in July, but I told him I needed to stay here awhile longer so I could get my degree.” Key said.

When asked how he heard about the position, Key said a former coach at ASU is a good friend of Coach Porter, and they saw each other several times at various tournaments.

UNO shaped as the perfect fit for Key to transition from a graduate assistant coach, to a full time assistant coach.

“Coach Porter and I are very similar people,” Key said. “We really gel together.”

Key says despite the transition in such a short amount of time, he is anxious to meet with the golf teams and get things moving.

“My main goal is to instill a hard working mentality and that was what we went by at ASU,” Key said. “We didn’t have a secret formula, we just worked harder.”

The men’s and women’s golf season opens up with the UNO Invitational, Sept. 3. in Nebraska City.